


bad habits

by orphan_account



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Flash Fic, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 16:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14217372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Turns out "possessed by a dragon deity of destruction" isn't a valid excuse for missing a week of school. Kazuma has a plan, but...





	bad habits

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote half of this in a courtroom and had to surrender the paper to the government

So it turns out "possessed by a dragon deity of destruction" isn't a valid excuse for missing a week of school. Even less acceptable, Ibuki explained patiently, was Chrono's planned reasoning of "best friend possessed by dragon deity of destruction; other best friend bodily injured in resulting carnage." It was Mikuru-san who eventually submitted the partial truth of Chrono's recent meeting with his long-absent father understandably disturbing him—and when combined with Kazuma's recent "family emergency" and their other mutual best friend's hospitalization, the good news: Neither of them is expelled! Kazuma wasn't suspended! Chrono was, but only because he has a history of ditching without notice, and anyway it's not that big a deal because he can spend that week catching up with aforementioned absent father and Kazuma is prescribed bed rest the week of its duration.

Of course there's also an ultimatum: they're to top exams for the rest of the year or face harsher consequences. Which isn't all that bad, but it's weird how normies forget about evils from alternate dimensions trying to silence the globe. Also inconvenient, except where it means that they at least forgot about Kazuma's junk.

Chrono didn't, but he's pretending. 

Kazuma loves him, just a little bit.

Presently Chrono drops next to Kazuma on the bench and declares, “Well! Shouldn't be too hard." He gives Kazuma a nudge. "Want me to tutor you?"

Such confidence, taking Kazuma's help for granted.

He's not wrong, unfortunately. A Chrono in good spirits is more than all the convincing Kazuma needs. 

But Kazuma shoulders him back, says, “I'd be better off borrowing your pencil," and unpacks his food. 

Chrono's laugh bursts out electric—Kazuma wants to bottle its energy for the nights he spends clawing out of terrors—and then feigning sage wisdom Chrono says, "Put that critsack luck to good use, my mans."

Not wanting to voice that of their pair Chrono is definitely the lucky one, but he will try, since you asked so nicely, Kazuma says only, "Yeah, whatever."

"I'm so glad you're a genius," Chrono says, grinning, and pulls out his own bento. The familiar sight of the worn box and their uniforms and this usual spot is suddenly surreal, as if Kazuma has been sleepwalking his entire life, but he blinks once, twice, three times; counts to ten; exhales. Then he squints at the contents of Chrono's lunch, which are off-brand for a lack of eggs. 

Another nudge. "You make that yourself?"

"That guy insisted." He takes an experimental taste. "Hm..."

Upon emancipation, Kazuma and his mother went out for a lot more ramen. It tasted better than Onimaru meals mostly by virtue of his not being seconds away from shitting his pants on the tatami in front of his lousy grandparents.

Now Kazuma slurps determinedly at his juice. Chrono points to Kazuma's sandwich with his chopsticks. "Trade ya?"

"No way. Go get some anpan or something."

"Ohh, they just sold out!" This from Okazaki, who appears suddenly enough that the boys leap apart, Kazuma spilling the remainder of his juice on his uniform and Chrono knocking over half his rice.

Chrono recovers enough to speak first. "Wh-What's good, Okazaki?"

"Oh, right, go ahead," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "Guys being dudes and all that."

So they collect themselves. Chrono finishes what’s left of his bento; lacking anything with which to wash his own lunch down, Kazuma shoves the remainder of it at Chrono, but is rejected. 

Given the surplus of space, Okazaki sits between them. From her bag she produces a sparkly, purple binder and hugs it close, not-so-subtly trying to catch Kazuma's eye.

Okazaki is a sweet girl with a soft voice and an uncanny ability to make everyone she hangs out with immediately love and cherish her. She is also the only person Kazuma talks to in class, is interested in some of his intelligence, and is willing to provide the notes he missed in exchange for it. Except their deal was supposed to be a _secret_. Not because he's afraid of breaking Chrono's delusions of Kazuma being a genius or whatever—okay, fine, maybe a little bit of that—but due to the nature of the intelligence in question: it's... kind of private, and Chrono has a knack for turning every little scrap of information he has about Kazuma's personal life into something embarrassing just by _knowing it somehow_.

Kazuma wipes at the crumbs on his mouth with his sleeve, doing his best to point out Chrono's presence without actually pointing out Chrono's presence. 

Chrono, because the universe loves him and loves to tease Kazuma more, notices the deliberate indifference and looks between them. "What's up?" 

"Shouji-kun," Okazaki says, holding tighter to her notes, "I expect payment upfront."

Alarmed, Chrono asks, "Payment?"

"Don't worry about it," Kazuma says through his teeth. Dammit, he's a test scheduled this afternoon and he really needs to have a single clue what the hell is on it. He tries, at Okazaki, "Can we talk about this in class?"

"But you should be focusing in class!" Okazaki scolds, because she sincerely cares, but not enough to fork over the goods for free. "Or there's no point in giving you these anyway..."

This, evidently, convinces the Chronotherapy Hamster in Chrono's head to scurry onto its wheel. Suddenly at attention, Chrono points at Okazaki's binder as if it is a powerful, new G4 for his own deck. "Wait," he says, leaning forward as well, "are those your notes?"

Okazaki smiles. Something ominous lurks there, a critical trigger she has foreseen. "Oh, yes, Shouji-kun wanted to borrow them! In exchange for some… classified information."

Chrono nods. "I want in."

Okazaki nods, too, and brings an inquisitive finger to her lips. "I suppose we'll have to double the price, then..."

Two pairs of eyes are on Kazuma, who only has so many of his brother's secrets he is willing to spill, _especially_ when they concern his current boss in Shinjuku. He stands, hissing, " _Shindou_ , can _we_ talk about this?"

Okazaki's hum is a cheerful one when Chrono shrugs in agreement. Kazuma drags him a fair enough distance to groan safely, "I was going to share with you _anyway_ , doofus." Then, what starts as a tumbling wisecrack and ends muttered at the ground: "A... life for a life."

He glances up briefly enough to see Chrono's knit brows and soft eyes. Kicks at an old pink eraser when Chrono says blankly, "But I'm the reason you were in danger."

Why's it gotta be like this? Why's he gotta be like _that_?

_1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10…_

"By saving me," Kazuma reminds Chrono, thinking of watercolor days when he was afraid of losing what he now knows was the little he had. And then another fight lost to his traitorous tongue: "It's a dumb habit of yours."

"Huh?"

"Just—ugh, c'mon! She's waiting."


End file.
